The Circle of Life is Both Beautiful and Heartbreaking.

Last week I flew to California to photograph a family wedding.  I only shoot a couple of weddings a year, because I love filling my work calendar with tweens-seniors and families.  I love the personal connections I make during my sessions, and that is not something that happens in a crazy, busy wedding day.  BUT… I was honored beyond words when my cousin Alex asked me to shoot her special day.  It gave me a chance to see people I love with all my heart, and to share something I love to do with them all.

And I got the chance to see my 92-year-old Abuelita, who moved from 2 miles away from me to 3,000, when my Abuelito died in 2013.

 

 

Abuelita once had a mind that was made for remembering the little things.  She could recall with vivid detail stories from her youth, and I LOVED listening to her, entranced by her stories, as she weaved the tales of our ancestors.  I spent a lot of time at her house before we moved to the United States from Puerto Rico, and once she moved to North Carolina, I was blessed to see her often as an adult.

Time passes though, and sometimes this broken world steals the things we treasure most.  Abuelita is suffering from dementia, and is only really “with us” in small glimpses, every once in a while.

 

 

The Circle of Life is heartbreaking.

But I am used to an Abuelita who gifted us often.  She didn’t have much money… those are not the types of gifts I mean.  She gave of herself and her talents.  Abuelita cared for my children when they were babies.  She was a talented seamstress who made countless outfits, and costumes, and even made the flower girl dresses for my own wedding.  Abuelita was a fantastic cook who made the most delicious lasagna, spectacular cakes, and would have us to her house often for Puerto Rican coffee, cremita, bacon, eggs, and homemade sourdough bread.

I am used to a giving Abuelita.  And last week in California, her generous spirit, which mimics the gracious spirit of the God I serve, abundantly surrounded me.

I was prepared for her not to know who I was, but when I got there she recognized me and was elated to see me.  What a gift!  In a rare moment of clarity she even asked me about Michael and our kids… right before she asked me if Mom and I knew each other.

The circle of life is heartbreaking, oh but it is beautiful too.

 

 

As my family gathered together, I got to see Abuelita lovingly cared for and cherished.  I got to see my mom and her sisters giggling together, enjoying themselves, appreciating one another.  It must be so hard, to have the role change from daughter to caretaker, but they do it as a unit, with grace.

Even now, I sit in awe, because this is part of my family that I rarely see.  Some of them I met for the first time on this trip… but we had an instant connection, as if we spent time together every day.  The people I was given are the people I would choose.  I know not everyone can say that.  I know it is a gift.  And I know that it has a lot to do with my Abuelita, and the person she is, and the way she taught us to love.

 

 

We enjoy being together.  We LIKE each other as much as we LOVE each other.  This wedding was a celebration of love, and bonds, and family.  It was an opportunity for us to come together to rejoice with my cousin Alex and her new husband Kyle.  It was an opportunity for us to celebrate the blessing we have in each other, and the woman who is largely responsible for who we are.

My Abuelita is a giver.  The night of the wedding she gave us a most precious gift.  As she was leaving the reception to go home with Mom and Dad, she stopped in the middle of the dance floor and started to dance.  We all gathered around her and celebrated with her.  We felt her joy and lived in that moment, fully conscious of how precious it was.

What a powerful message that is for ALL of us to remember:  Live in the moment, choose joy, and be acutely aware of the gifts that surround us.

We are beyond blessed.

The circle of life is beautiful indeed.